that are in the Earth Now when the Spirit of Sedition shall possess the Minds of Men and prompt them not only to dislike but speak Evil of such Dignities and those that enioy them and to assemble in Companies to Assault their Governours as these Men in my Text did Moses and Aaron whom they knew God had set over them and frequently acknowledged it No wonder the Psalmist in Psal 119. 126. said It was time for God to work when Men went about to undermine the Laws of God to make them void The Translation of our Church Psalms reads it thus It is time for the Lord to lay to thy Hand for they have destroyed thy Law When these Men in my Text had gathered the Congregation together against Moses and Aaron what to do Why to cut them off and Subvert the Government both of Church and State It was high time for God to appear in flaming Fire to take Vengeance upon them and pluck of the Crown of spiritual Pride from their haughty Heads Which he did as you have heard and so rejected their Confidences and blasted their intended Proceedings 4. They were of an envious Spirit they envied the State and Dignity which God had conferred upon Moses and Aaron in Constituting them their Governours in the Church This ill Quality Cooperated with the rest to provoke them to a Commotion and civil Discord amongst themselves And that the old Serpent had shed the Spawn of Envy into their Spirits the Kingly Propet affirms it with a sad Memento 106. 16. 17 18. They envied Moses in the Camp and Aaron the Saint of the Lord. The Earth opened and swallowed up Dathan and covered the Congregation of Abiram And a Fire was kindled in their Company the Flame burnt up the ungodly By the last words in ver 17. viz. The Congregation of Abiram It is very probable that Abiram had a gathered Church which some of our Modern Dissenters call the Congregational or Independent way of gathering Churches And if so as it is very likly then he was the first that ever I read of who gathered a false Church out of a true one And so by the Text it is clear that whilst Corah and his Confederates were affronting Moses and Aaron in publick Dathan and Abiram were at a private Meeting in their Tents Praying for their good Success or waiting for a Watch word from them when they should rush forth with Weapons to Assault their Rulers For when Moses gave a charge to the rest of the People to come away from their Tents they came forth and stood in their Tent-doores with their Wives and Children with brazen faced Impudency as if they would outface God and all just Authority I did not know till after more than Forty times reading this Antient Record of Holy Writ and an exact Inspection into the Design of the Seditious Party with a deligent Observation of their prerended Holiness grounded upon false Principles Their gathering the Common People like Herds of Goats in a Tumultuous manner against their Rulers their crying them down to get into their places I say till I had diligently consulted the Record of this lamentable History I did not know that Presbiterâ— and Independency were of so long a standing in the World For Chorah an inferior Levite contends with Aaron to level the Office of an High-Priest to that of a Levite and flatly tells him that he takes too much upon him to lift up himself above them being all of one Tribe he sawnoreason there should be any difference in Dignity and therefore he resolves to Conform no longer but set up for himself and have Elders under him of his own choosing And as for Dathan and Abiram they defiâ— all Superintendency for it were they as well as Corah that told Moses and Aaron That they took too much upon them to lift up themselves above them They were able of themselves to give Laws and Orders to their Congregated Proselites without their Lordly â—urisdiction and in this State of Independency they died Impenitently How fitly may we apply the Words of Solomon to the Former and Latter Troubles of the Church Eccle. 1. 9 10. The thing that hath been is that which shall be and that which is done is that which shall bedone and there is no new thing under the Sun Is there any thing whereof it may be said see this is new It hath been of old time before us And whence is it but from the Envy and Malice of the old Serpenr who is called the Devil and Satan Who as our Saviour saith John 8. 44. Was a Murderer from the beginning and abode not in the Truth And so became an Enemy to all Government above himself which Practice he continues still in the World by seducing the Sons of Men into his old Principles of Disobedience 'T is true indeed this old Serpent doth often renew his Shape but never alters his ill Qualities he often changeth his Habit but not his Disposition alters his name but not his Nature shifts places but retains still his old Principles I will conclude this Branch with the Sacred Caution of the Apostle St. Peter 1. Eph. 3. 17 18. Therefore Beloved seeing ye know these things before beware least ye being lead away with the Error of the Wicked fall from your own Stedfastness But grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to whom be Glory both now and for ever Amen 5. They were of a sullen selfwill'd Spirit nothing would please them but what proceeded from their own Wills They answeared Moses as some of their Successors did the Prophet Jeremy Chap. 19. 11. Return ye from the Evil of your ways They said Ver. 19 There is no hope but we will walk after our own devices and we will every one do the Imagination of his evil Heart Yea when they were in Captivity in Babilon they would not be Reclaimed from their own Wills but they made him this desperate Answer As for the Word which thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord we will not hearken to thee but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth out of our own Mouth Jer. 44. 14. Spiritual Wickedness doth not only blind but bind the Spirits of unstable Men with strong Cords of selfwill'dness It is a hard thing to recover any one out of any Error that hath laid the Reins of his own will into the neck of his own Judgment Sic volo sic Jubeo stat proratione voluntas His own Will is the Rule he resolves to walk by and to any other Persuasion he is like the deaf Adder that stops her Ear at the Voice of the Charmer charm he never so wisely One of the sorest Plagues that God can inflict on any Man is to leave him to his own Will and the Councils of his own Heart which must needs destroy him Some do think that Liberty of Conscience is the only way to propogate the
upon him for it as Aaron here did but as for Miriam she neither Confest her Sin nor shew'd any Sorrow for it but stubb rnly persisted in it For notwithstanding God Arraigned her himself and sate himself as â—udge in Moses's Cause and ask'd her why she was not affraid to speak against his Servant Moses she made no Reply by an humble Plea for Mercy but stood as a sullen Mute and so God recorded her and left her to Judgment and departs from her in great Fury Num. 12. 9. 2. The second Infectious Disease is the Pestilence which prevails mightily by Infection killing Thousands in a short time So doth the Plague of Spiritual Delusions Infect and Destroy many Thousands of Souls in a very few Days And that these Mens Principles in my Text had the same Effect it was too apparent in their Punishment and one may read their Sin in their Punishment And that there was a Spiritual Plague fore broken and running upon these Mens Spirits It is evident by the Injunction which God laid upon the rest of the People to depart from them and not to come near them nor touch any thing of theirs least their Sin should Infect them and they perish with them in their Sins And so Infectioâ—s was it to many Thousands in Israel that it brake forth upon them on the Morrow and in a Congregated Assembly Murmured against Moses and told him he had Killed the People of the Lord. How nearly doth Heresie in the Soul resemble the Pestilence in the Body for as fast as that lothsom Disease cleaves to the Body so fast doth Heresie stick in the Soul and Heart of a Man For as it is a very difficult thing and almost Impossible for a Phisttian to heal the Plague of Pestilence in the Body So it is a very hard and difficult thing for the best Majestrate or the best Minister in the World to reclaim any Man or Woman from the Error of their way that have forsaken the Publick Service of God the High-way of Salvation and betook themselves to the By-paths of a Pestilential Conventicle one Year Hence it is that the Apostle St. Paul Exhorts Titus to Reject A Man that is an Heretick after the first and second Admonition And subjoyns this Reason Knowing that he that is such is subverted and Sinneth being Condemned of himself Titus 3. 10 11. Now you may happily ask what an Heretick is I Answer A Heretick is one that obstinately Defends and Maintains an Opinion contrary to the Faith Practice and Profession of the truely Antient Catholick and Apostolick Church But ye may happily say why doth the Apostle Exhort Titus to be so quick and brief in Admonishing such an one and upon a second Contempt imediately to reject him I Answer Answer Because they have refused the way of Truth and chosen and prâ—fer'd an Erronious Opinion be ore it and obstinately reâ—use to return again This assâ—ion iâ— verified by the Testimony of the Prophet Jeremâ— Chap. 6. ver 16. Thus saith the Lord Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old Paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find Rest for your Souls This was the first Admonition the Prophet gave them aâ—ter their Revolt unto which they obstinately answered We will not walk therein The second word of Admonition is in ver 17 Also I set Watchmen over you saying Hearken to the sound of the Trumpet Unto which they made this stubbora Answer We will not Hearken Upon this their refusal after their second Admonition to return to the antient ways of God the Prophet proceeds in the name of the Lord to give Judgment upon them in ver 18. 19. Therefore hear ye Nations and know O Congrâ—gation what is among them Hear O Earth behold I wâ—ll bring Evil upon this People even the Fruit of their Thoughts because they have not hearkned unto my Words nor to my Law but rejected it Twice did those Men in my Text return a stubborn Anâ—wer to Moses that they would not return to their former Conformity but deâ—perately resolved to stick close to their former Remonstrance for when Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram the Sons of Eliab to come to him doubtless to perswade and advise with them to forbear the further Prosecution of their wicked Designs and to consider the manifold mischiefs that would unavoidably follow such wicked enterprizes as they were now begining to prosecute then they returned this resolute Answer We will not come up and aggravated it with this Expostulation Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a Land thâ—t floweth with Milk and Honey to kill us in the Wilderness except thou make thy self altogether a Prince over us ver 13. and then in ver 14. They follow their blow with a Moreover thou hast not brought us into a Land that floweth with Milk and Honey or given us Inheritance of Fields and Vineyards Wilt thou put out the Eyes of these Men We will not come up Upon this second Repulse of theirs to Moses's Admonition he utterly Rejects them and now will have no more to do with them but turns his Prayer directly against them And in the Indignation of his Spirit said unto the Lord Respect not thou their Offering And what the Effect of such a Prayer was like to be may be easily read in the Judgment that followed for the Earth opened her Mouth and swallowed them up with all that appertain'd to them and I wish with all my Heart that these Mens Principles had sunck into the Ground with them and never appear'd again upon the face of Earth but vae mihi 3. A third Infectious Disease in the Body of Man is the Cancer a sore fretting Disease very small in the beginning dangerous in growth and pernitious in the end Such is all Scismatical and false Doctrine in the beginning scarcely discern'd but by degrees it eats so far into the Soul that it destroys both Faith and Practice We have this confirm'd by the Apostle St. Paul in an Epistle of his to the chief Pastor of the Church of Ephesâ—s 2. Tim. 2. Cap. 16. 17. 18. ver But shun prophane Bablings for they will increase unto more Ungodliness And their Word will eat as doth a Canker of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus Who concerning the truth have erred saying That the Resurrection is past already and overthrow the Faith of some O Lord for thy Mercy sake save and deliver thy Church and People in the Kingdoms of England and Ireland and the Religion Established by Law therein from the fly insinuating creeping Soul-infectious Diseases of Sediton Privy Conspiracy and Rebellion false Doctrine Heresie and Scisme and work in us such a Reformation in all our Lives that our Conversations before God and Man may be such as may beautifie and adorn our most Holy Faith and demonstrate to the World that we are living Members of Christ's Body I have now finished my third
the Lord hath rejected them 2. The second that mentions it is the Apostle St. Paul Romans 1. 28. God gave them over to a Reprobate Mind the Reason for it he gives in the former part of the ver in these words And even as they did not like to retain God in their Knowledge So God gave them over to a Reprobate mind The next place is likewise a Testimony of the same Author 2. Cor. 13. 5 Examin your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates Now that many of this Church to whom he thus writes were Revolâ—ing from the Truth which they had formerly embraced and Scismatically going off from the Body of the Church of which by an outward Profession they had for a long time been Members its evident from several passages in both his Epistles to them 1. He calls them the Church of God at Corinth 1. Cor. 1. 2. 2. Thanks God for them that they were enriched with all Vtterance and Knowledge and that they came behind in no Gift 1. 1. 4 7. 3. Persuades them to unity of Judgment and avoiding of Divisions yea beseeches them in these Words 1. Cor. 1. 10. I Beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that is in the Name of our Anointed Saviour that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no Divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same Judgment 4. Checks them for entertaining several Errors as the eating of Meat offered to Idols contrary to the Apostolical Decree at Jerusalem which he brought from thence in his own Person and delivered to them with his own Hands Chap. 8. 5. Reproves them for Praying in the Church with their Heads cover'd Chap. 11. 6. For Prophaning the Lords Supper by their undecent carriage at the Communion thereof Chap. II. 7. Sharply Rebukes them for denying the Resurrection of the Dead Chap. 15. All which Errors being directly contrary to their former Faith and Profession of the Gospel which they received and embraced at his first Preaching of the Gospel to them he earnestly exhorts them to a serious Examination of their present and former State and so to make a speedy return to their first love of the Truth from which they were now falling into a State of Reprobation The fourth place where the word Reprobate is mentioned is in Pauls second Epistle to Timothy 3. 8. 13 14 As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do these also resist the Truth Men of corrupt minds Reprobate concerning the Faith But evil Men and Saducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them These Men whom he here calls Reprobates must needs have Relation to them whom he names in the first Chap. of his two Epistles to Timothy the first Bishop of the Church of Ephesus In the 1 Tim. 1. 20. He names Hymeneus and Alexander whom he there saith he had delivered up to Satan for making a Shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience ver 19. Now I am apt to think that this Hymeneus whom he mentions here is the same whom he mentions in his second Epistle Chap 2. ver 17. And their word will eat as doth a Canker of whom are Hymeneus and Philerus Who concerning the Truth have erred saying That the Resurrection is past already and overthrow the Faith of some That is throw them into a State of Reprobation Two others he names in 2 Tim. 1. 15. This thou knowest that all they which are in Asia are turned away from me that is are turned Reprobates and have forsaken their first love to the Truth of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes Hold fast the form of sound Words which thou hast heard of me ver 13. And I am apt to believe that the former mentioned Alexander is the same he bids Timothy beware of 2 Tim. 4. 14 15. Alexander the Copper-smith did me much evil the Lord Reward him according to his Works Of whom be thou aware also for he hath greatly withstood our Words There can be no greater Enemies to the Truth then those that once profest it and at last revolt from it I am further apt to think that this Alexander is the same that took Pauls part in the uproare at Ephesus against the Priests of Diana's Temple Acts 19. 33. And they drew Alexander out of the Multitude the Jews putting him forward And Alexander beckoned with his hand and would have made his defence unto the People But when they knew that he was a Jew all with one Voice about the space of two Hours cryed out Great is Diana of the Ephesians But whither it where the same or some other of that name he made himself a Reprobate to his Faith and Profession of the Gospel And thus much briefly to the fifth Reason to prove it dangerous and unsafe for Christians to Congregate themselves with any such People tho' never so full of Knowledge and seeming Holyness that do deny Conformity to such Laws and Ordinances which God hath given to them by the Hands of faithful Governours 2. I am come now to the second thing considered in the Explication and therein to shew you what some of the Preposterous and unlucky Dispositions of these Mens Spirits were under such spetious Pretences and first It did manifestly appear that they were of a proud Spirit Pride had overcome their Wits as we usually say of an haughty Person they were proud of their exâ—raordinary Gifts and parts by which they had gotten a Name amongst the discontented Israelites and a seditâ—oâ—s party amongst them I mean among that party of them that were so for many of them stood fast to God and his Servant Moses in observing the Rules of that Religion which contained a prescript Form of Laws and Ordinances cemented with harmless and inoffensive Ceremonies as ye have already heard and which they themselves once promised to observe and keep But now their spiritual Pride was such and their Minds so estranged from that their Promise and Profession that they dare tell him to his Face That he took too much upon him to lift up himself above them This one Fly of spiritual Pride had utterly mar'd their whole Box of Sacred Ointment manifest in their former Submission and Obedience and engaged the Lord to oppose them Had not spiritual Pride been the Root of their Sin the Lord had not set himself against them for the humble and poor in Spirit are his joy and Delight but the proud and haughty in Spirit are the Objects of his hatred and contempt The Princely Psalmist affirms it Psal 138. 6. Though the Lord be high yet hath he respect unto the lowly but the proud he knoweth afar off And another Scripture saith God resisteth the
proud but giveth Grace to the Humble James 4. 6. But the Apostle St. Peter is much larger in this point 1 Pet. 5. 5. Likewise ye Younger submit your selves unto the Elder yea all of you be subject one to another and be Clothed with Humility for God resisteth the proud and giveth Grace to the humble Both of these Apostles have their Quotation from Solomon who in the Original is larger then both Proverbs 3. 33. 34. 35. The Curse of the Lord is in the House of the Wicked But he blesseth the Habitation of the Just Surely he scorneth the Scorners but he giveth Grace unto the lowly The Wise shall inherite Glory but shame shall be the promotion of Fools Spiritual Pride tho'it be an horrible Sin yet it is very hard to be discerned The Apostle St. Paul was very near falling into this Sin and very likly he was for it as he Testifies himself 2 Cor. 12. 7. Least I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of Revelations there was given to me a Thorn in the Flesh the Messenger of Satan to buffet me The pricking Briers of Hunger Cold Nakedness Reproaches Necessities Distresses for Christ ver 9 10. O my Friends with Grief I speak it it was spiritual Pride that laid the Corner-Stone of England's late and Lamentable Miseries Acted by a Company of Pretended Saints who never left exalting themselves till they had trod upon the Crown and Dignity of the Lords Anointed and at that time with him the true Protestant Religion and all the Devout and Sincere Professors thereof and at last Murdered him at the Gates of his own Palace and trampled his Sacred Blood under their base and dirty Feet All this the Pride of their Spirit carried them forth to Enact against as sweetly qualified and as bravely an accomplished Prince as ever breathed upon the face of the of the Earth still I say Jesus Christ excepted Nor is it to be doubted but these spiritual proud Men in my Text had not God by a sudden overthrow prevented them would have served Moses and Aaron with the same Sauce having already drawn up a Charge against them as implacable Enemies to the Liberty they aimed at and Murdering so many of the People of the Lord. as they call'd themselves altho' they were Eye Witnesses that it was the immediate Hand of God that struck some of them Dead with Fire and that the Earth of her own accord opened her Mouth and swallowed up the rest O Lord for thy Mercies sake save us for the time to come from such evil proud Spirits And I beseech you my Brethren and Friends hear and receive King Solomon's advice Prov. 25. 21. My Son fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change for their Calamity shall rise suddenly For every one that is proud in Heart is an abomination to the Lord tho' hand joyn in hand he shall not go unpunished The Lord will destroy the House of the proud Prov. 16. And elsewhere he saith A Mans pride shall bring him low but honour shall uphold the humble in Spirit Prov. 29. 23. There is a Day of Account coming and it draws very near it is called The Day of the Lord of Hosts And the Prophet Isa saith That the Day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon every one that is pròud and lofty and they shall be brought low And again in Chap. 28. 1. he crieth out against this Sin in denouncing a Woe against it saying Wo to the Crown of Pride the Crown of Pride shall be troden under Foot We cannot read of proud Persons in the Scripture but we shall read of their downfall 2. They were of a self-conceited Spirit they thought none better nor Holyer then themselves for if they would have given the preference to any they would surely have given it to Moses whom the Son of God thought worthy to keep him Company fourty Days and fourty Nights at one time And afterwards on the Mount at his Transfiguration Mat. 17. And this they knew full well as the Sacred Record assures us in Exo. 24. 1. 2. 3. And he said unto Moses come up unto the Lord thou and Aaron Nadab and Abihu ánd seventy of the Elders of Israel and Worship ye afar off And Moses alone shall come near the Lord but they shall not come nigh neither shall the People go up with him And Moses came and told the People all the Words of the Lord and all the Judgments and all the People answered with one Voice and said All the Words which the Lord hath said will we do It doth not appear that at this time there was one Dissenter or Nonconformist amongst them And yet within a little time after afew seditious Israelites whereof Corah was chief had so seduced the Church of God in Israel that if God had not appeared himself with a mighty Hand and stretched out Arm of Heavenly Power they would not only have denyed Moses the Supremacy over them but have brought his Neck to the Block or otherwise have ended his Days by some violent Death for they often spake of Stoning him Thus you see that for all their pretended Holyness they shut their Eyes and will not see nor open their Ears to Hearken to God nor the Rulers of his Church For Instance take the Word of God Num. 12. 5. And the Lord came down in the Pillar of the Cloud and stood in the Door of the Tabernacle and called Aaron and Miriam and they both came forth And he said Hear now my Words if there be a Prophet among you I the Lord will make my self known unto him in a Vision and will speak unto hìm in a Dream My Servant Moses is not so who ìs Faithful in all my House With him wîll I speak Mouth to Mouth even apparently and not in dark Speeches and the Similitude of the Lord shall he behold wherefore then were yé not afraid to speak against my Servant Moses And thé Anger of the Lord was kindled against them and he departed There are seven things to be enquired into from this Proof 1. Which of the three Persons in the God-Head it was that came down from Heaven in the Pillat of the Cloud the Son of God it was no doubt 2. What his business was that he came about viz. to Examin two Criminals to Arraign and Judge them 3. What their Crime was viz. Speaking against Moses 4. Aarons Penitency and the benefit of his Clergy 5. Miriams Impenitency and Punishment 6. Moses's Pitty and Prayer for her which voided the perpetuity of the Sentence 7. The fairness of the Tryal he stood in the Door of the Tabernacle that all Israel might hear and see and take warning God might have spoken so loud that Heaven and Earth should have heard it so as they should not have need to come forth for Audience but now he calls them out to the Bar that they may be seen it did
not content him to chide them within Doors the shame of their Fault had been lesser in a private Rebuke but the Scandal of it required open Reproof From these seven Considerations I have Collected these Observations 1. That God is the God of Order Rule and Government their Repining was publick and where the Sin is not affraid of the Light God loves not the Reproof should be smothered 2. That it is a greater Sin than Men are aware of to speak against the Rule and Order of Government either in Church or State 3. That in the end God will severely punish all such Dispisers of such Rule Order and Government There are two Evangelical Witnesses to these three Points Peter and Jude both of them Apostles to Christ Peters Testimony is Recorded in his first Epistle 2 Chap. 13 14. Ver. Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as Supreme Or unto Governours as unto them that are sent of him for the Punishment of Evil Doers and for the praise of them that do well And to this he adds 2. Epistle 2. to assure us that Such there are and have been as do speak Evil of Government and shall not go unpunished Ver. 9 10. The Lord knows how to deliver the Godly out of Temptation and to reserve the Vnjust unto the Day of Judgment to be Punished But chiefly them that walk after the Flesh and dispise Government Presumptious are they Self-will'd they are not afraid to speak Evil of Dignities The Apostle Jude Harps on the same String and particularizeth these Men in my Text at ver 11. Wo unto them for they have gone in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the Error of Balaam for Reward and Perish in the gain-saying of Corah And then at ver 19. gives a Mark how to know them saying These are they which separate tbemselves sensual not having the Spirit tho' they said they had 3. They were of a self confident Spirit they were confident in themselves that God would own them in their design For when Moses Summoned them to Appear before the Lord to answer to their Seditious Words they accepted the Challenge and undertook to dispute it before the Lord in a Religious Duty too manifest in ver 19 17 18 19. in these Words And Moses said unto Corah be thou and all thy Company before the Lord thou and they and Aaron to Morrow And take every Man his Censer and put Incense thereon and bring ye before the Lord every Man his Censer two Hundred and Fifty Censers thou also and Aaron each one his Censer And they took every Man his Censer and put Fire in them and laid Incense thereon and stood in the Door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation with Moses and Aaron Cheek by Jole with them And Corah gathered all the Congregation against them either by some Solemn League and Covenant or some Engagement or other unto the Door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation and the Glory of the Lord appeared There never was such a Challenge made in the Church of God upon Earth before or since never such apparent Confidence in a Seditious Party to accept of and answer it known or heard of altho' some People of our times have shreudly immitated them Nor did ever such a Stickler appear in a Quarrel for God himself appeared on Moses and Aarons side and at his first enterance on the Stage which was the Tabernacle he gave the Spectators a glimps of his Glory and made bare his Arm and uttered with his Lips these dreadful Words ver 21. Separate your selves from among this Congregation that I may consume them in a Moment As if God had said Moses and Aaron stand ye by and let me alone to deal with these Seditious Rebels they will be to hard for you let me lift up my Hand against them the Quarrel is mine as well as yours For I have whet my glittering Sword and my Hand shall take hold on Vengeance and I will abate their Pride asswage their Envy discover their Design and overthrow their Devices That all the Earth may know that I hate and abhor all Pretences to Religion that are acted and done in Disobedience and Rebellion to my Commands and contrary to the Rule and Order of Government that I have Established in my Church And at the first Blow he made at Corah and his Two Hundred and Fifty Confidents he struck their Censers out of their Hands and with a flash of Fire Consumed them to Ashes As if the Lord had said What have you to do to handle Censers to meddle with Publick Matters of Religion seeing ye do it in Spite and Contempt of the Government Established by Law for Strife and Debate and in Disobedience and Rebellion against the Governours that I have set over you For in very deed Envy at the Established Government in the Church was the seed Plot of Corah's Sin and Dathan and Abirams Conspiracy And therefore it was high time for God to put to his helping Hand to Vindicate Moses and Aaron for they were but God's Servants employed by him to lead them in the right way to Happiness and to Govern them therein by a Sacred Platform of good and wholsome Laws and Ordinances As it is written Psal 77. 20. Thou leadest thy People like a Flock by the Hand of Moses and Aaron i. e. Magistracy and Ministry 'T is true Christ Jesus is the Supream Governour and Lord of all things in Heaven and in Earth but he doth not Govern in either place by his own and immediate Power But by Angels and Men Deligated by him to bear Rule for him over their fellow Creatures and from them expects an Account of their Steward-ship in such their places of Trust The Sacred Text is my Voucher for this Assertion Prov. 8 15 16. By me Kings Reign and Princes Decree Justice By me Princes Rule and Nobles even all the Judges of the Earth And elsewhere in Psal 78. 70 71 72. He chose David also his Servant and took him from the Sheep-fold From following the Ews great with Young he brought him to feed Jacob his People and Israel his Inheritance So he fed them according to the Integrity of his Heart and guided them by the skilfulness of his Hands Our Church Translation of the Psalms reads it thus So he fed them with a Faithful and a true Heart and Ruled them Prudently with all his Power This of the Psalmist is an Extract of that Message which God sent by the Prophet Nathan to King David 2 Sam. 7 8 9. Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my Servant David Thus saith the Lord of Hosts I took thee from the Sheep-fould from following the Sheep to be Ruler over my People Israel And I was with thee whither soever thou wentest and have cut off all thine Enemies out of thy sight and have made thee a great name like unto the name of the great Men